Production of ammonium compounds.



C. P. STEINMETZ. PRODUCTION DP AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS.

APPLICATION FILED IBB. 11, 1910.

LO62,805 v Patented May 27, 1913.

Witnsses: g Inventor' z 5M/6 9 W r CharlesF? teinrnetz,

His fitto rnetg.

iran srarns ramena nnte.

CHARLES P. STEINIVITZ, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK,' ASSIGNOR T0 GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PRODUCTION OF AMMONIUIVI COMPOUNDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 1913.

Application filed February 11, 1910. Serial No. 543,254.

To all whom z'z may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES I). STEIN- Mnrz,a citizen of the United States, resid-- ing at Schenectady, in thecounty of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in the Production of Ammonium Compounds, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to the production ot chemical reactions in gaseousmixtures by means of an electric arc, and it comprises a process ofmaking ammonium compounds by subjecting a gaseous mixture containingaqueous vapor and nitrogen to the action of the arc. I have discoveredthat if a mixture of this kind, for example, a mixture oi' air and steamis acted upon by the are, the nitrite and nitrate of ammonium areformed. Apparently the watery vapor is dissociated, and the freehydrogen and oxygen unite with the nitrogen to form ammonia and nitrousand nitric acids, and the ammonia and the acids combine to form theabove compounds. The proportion of nitrate to nitrite varies with therelative amount of oxygen, and the length oit time the oxygen is incontact with the nitrous oxid or the ammonium nitrite which are formed.An excess of acid, or ammonia, is absorbed in suitable towers.

The accompanying drawings show suitable orms of apparatus for carryingout my invention, but this apparatus is not a part of the presentinvention.

Figure 1 shows somewhat diagrammatically an apparatus for mixing the airwith steam and condensing the reaction products; and Fig. 2 is aragmental view, showing a somewhat modied means of cooling the reactionproduct.

Referring to Fig. 1, an arc is formed between the adjustable cathode 1and pertorated anode 2. rIhe are is surrounded by a pressure chamber 3,which communicates with a supply tube 4. 'Ihe supply tube communicateswith a closed tank 5 partly tilled with water. The air, or nitrogen, isfurnished by a blower 6, which communicates with the tank 5 by means ofa tube 7 dipping beneath the surface of the water in a tank 5. IIhewater in tank 5 is heated to a suitable temperature by means of a gasburner 8, thus regulating the amount of watery vapor carried over intothe arc.

rIlle cathode l is insulated from a pressure chamber 3 by means of asuitable bushing t). 'Ihe anode 2 communicates with a tube 10, which issurrounded by a water jacket 11, or other suitable cooling means. Thecirculation of water in the jacket 11 is maintained through inlet pipe12 and outlet pipe 13. The tube 10 passes into a chamber 14, the purposeof which will be hereinafter explained. This chamber 14 communicates bymeans of pipe 15 with an labsorbing tank 16. Only one absorbing tank hasbeen shown for the purpose of illustration; but others may be added ifnecessary. The absorbing tank is lilled withsome vitreous material, suchas broken stoneware, over which a film of moisture is maintained bywater supplied through a pipe 17. A If desired, this tank may be lledwith some material, such as lime, with which any acid, if in excess, cancombine. Electrodes 1 and 2 are connected to a suitable source ofcurrent 18.

In the form of apparatusdescribed by me, the interaction between air andthe aqueous vapor, or between nitrogen and aqueous vapor proceeds asfollows: The air, or nitrogen, supplied at the desired rate by a pump 6carries with it a certain amount of steam from the tank 5, the amount ofsteam depending upon the temperature ot the water. The mixture of airand steam passes into the pressure chamber 3, and from thence is forcedthrough an are formed between electrodes 1 and 2. The products of thereaction are cooledbelow the temperature at which the reverse reactioncan take place by contact with the cooled walls of the tube 10. In thereaction chamber 14 oxygen combines with the nitric oxid to form nitricdioxid,

which with water gives nitric and nitrous acids. These acids in turncombine with ammonia to form ammonium nitrate and nitrite. Some of theammonium nitrite formed by a combination of the ammonia and the nitrousacid in the tube 10 and in the chamber 1a is oxidized to form ammoniumnitrate. The unactecl upon watery vapor is condensed in the chamber 14C,forming therein a strong solution of ammonium nitrate associated with acertain amount of ammonium nitrite. The uncombined nitric and nitrousacids, or ammonia, as the case may be, pass over in to the absorptiontank 16, where they are either dissolved in water to formnitrie andnitrous acids, or ammonium hydrate, as the case may be. Uncombined acidscombine with the lime, or other reaction material, to form nitrate ornitrite of' calcium, or of other metal.

In the modified form of apparatus illustrated by Fig. 2, the reactionproducts are conducted through a short tube 2, whichI serves also asanode into a body 01'" water contained in the tank 19. The tubes 20 and21 serve to renew the water in the tank 19. The water-cooled condenserv22 projecting into the tank 19 serves to condense and return thatportion oit the water which is Vaporized by the heating act-ion of thereaction products from the arc. In this form of apparatus the mixture ofthe air and steam supplied in a manner similar to that described inconnection with F ig. l, is forced through the arc, where ammonia andnitrous acid are formed. These products condense and combine toa largeextent when bubbling through the water with the format-ion of a solutionof ammonium nitrite. As the solution of ammonium nitrite cannot beevaporated to dryness without the dissociation of the nitrite, thesolution is continually drawn ott through the pipe 21, and can be usedas a fertilizer, or it may be oxidized to nitrate. Fresh water issupplied by the tube 20. The excess of nitrous acid passes on throughvthe tube 23 into a reaction chamber and absorbing tank similar to thatshown in Fig. 1. The nitrous acid is oxidized in large part to nitricacid in the reaction chamber, and the mixture of nitrous and nitricacid, or uncombined ammonia, are absorbed as already described inconnection with Fig. 1.

pounds, which consists in passing' a mixture4 of air and-aqueous Vaporthrough an electric arc and immediately cooling the reaction productsbelow their dissociating temperature.

3. The process of making ammonium compounds, Which consists in urging amixture ot nitrogen, oxygen and aqueous vapor through an electric are,and cooling the 'products of the resulting reaction below theirdissociating temperature.

L The process of making ammonium compounds which consists in passing agaseous mixture containing' oxygen, nitrogen and watery vapor through anelectric arc and withdrawing the products of the resulting reaction intoa space maintained below the dissociating temperature of the reactionproducts.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day ofFebruary, 1910.

CHARLES P. STEINMETZ. `lVitnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD.

